X l latch



' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' BENJAMIN EDWARDs-OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SFECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 463,031, dated November 10, 1891. Application filed January 7 L891. Serial 110376379. (No model.)

' of New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful .Improvement in Latches, of which the follow- 3 opening is made, merging at the bottom into a circular aperture 16, extending through ing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to latches, and has for its object to provide a device of simple, durable, and economic construction, comprising but few parts, which will operate with a minimumof friction; and the invention consists ,in the novel construction-and combination of the several parts, as willzbe hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the'claims.

Reference is to be had to the; accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

in which similar figures and letters of referonce indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is'a plan View of the latch with the cover-of the casing removed. Fig. 2 isa longitudinal section through the complete latch, and Fig. 3 is atransversesection taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig.4 is a partial plan view of the latch with the cover of the casing and the bolt removed. Fig. 5 is a.

detail perspective view of the guide-block viewed from the under side. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the bolt viewed from the under side. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section the latch.

The casing is circular in cross-section, and

comprises two long-itudinalsemicircular members 10 and 11, the member '10 havingan end plate 12 and a frontrpl'ate 13 attached, the latter being circular a'nd'of greater diameter than the body ofthe casing, and 'also provided with the usual opening for the passage of the bolt-head. All of the operative. portions of the latch are preferably located in the casing member 10, the other member serv ing as a cover only. The rear portion of. the member 10 is made solid, ,and the forward and larger portion is in shell form, creating thereby a longitudinal chamber A. Upon the front face of the solid portion of the easing member 11 a transverse rib 14: is pro- .duced of lessklength than the width of the member,-the rear face whereof is. circularly concave, and the ends at said face are rounded off or convexed, as illustrated at a in Fig. 4. Immediately in front of the concave-surface or recessof the rib a semispherical socket or the casing, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Between the back plate 12 of the casing and the opening 15 the upper face of the solid portion of the member 10 is flush with the side edges of the latter, and in the central. portion of this section of the solid surface a longitudinal recess 17 is located, extending 'to the back plate and pre'ferablyupon the extreme rear bottom surface of said recess astud 17 is erected, one face whereof bears against the back plate 12, and said stud is provided with a threaded aperture. In the socket 15 a semi spherical follower 18 is loosely fitted,provided with a cam projection or lug 19 in its upper face, of semicircularv shape, and having convexed or cylindrical ends, and also provided with a'rectangular or polygonal opening20,extending through from face to faceto receive a spindle, and the camlug 19 has an annular recess in its inner edge at the center,the walls whereof are in the same vertical plane with thetwo adjoining walls of the follower-opening 20, as shown in Fig. 9.

Normally the cam of the follower is located- ,in the recess of the rib 14, and when in this position the convexed end surfaces of the rib constitute a continuation of the curve upon which the "ends of the cam are formed, as shown in Fig. 4. A guide-block 21 is fitted in the recess .17, having a slot 19 at its rear end to receive the stud 17, and a concavity bdiiz its outer end. The block is of suflicient length to extenda slight distance over the follower, serving to hold it in position, but

does not engage with-the follower, being to that end provided with a recess 1) in its under face at its forward end, as showu in Figs. 2 and 5. The block is held rigidly in position by a screw or an equivalent device.

A The bolt B consists of-a'bqdyssection 22,

having'a flat under face and an essentially convcxed upper face, anda head 23, which projects below the under face of the body. In the rear end of the body an elongated ocnin 24: is reduced and flush-with each.

P c a.

IOO

side wall of the opening, at the rear thereof, lugs are formed upon the under face, the forward ends 19 of which are curved from the opening outward, as is best shown in Fig. 6. When the bolt is placed in position, thelugs 25 slide in engagement with the sides of the block. 21, whereby the block Serves not only as a keeper for the follower, but as a guide for the bolt, and it further serves as a stop limiting the inward throw of the bolt. The bolt is normally forced out through the opening in the front plate of the casing by a spring 0, located in the chamber A. The casing member 11 'is provided with an opening 26, through which the spindle operating the latch extends after passing through the follower.

In connection with the latch-I employ a striking-plate D, of peculiar construction,

' (illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8,) andconsisting of a face-section comprising a circular plate 28, and a tongue 29, extending therefrom in a plane with its outer surface, the circular plate being provided with an opening 30, which is surrounded or partly surrounded by a well 31, formed'upon. the back of the-circular plate, and the striking-plate is secured "in position by passing a screw through an aperture 32 in thebottom-of the well into any proper support.

If in practice it be found desirable, a flange may be formed at the upper exterior surface of the follower to rest upon a wear-plate of harder. metal than that of which the solid portion of the casing is constructedas, for instance the casing may be made of sheet metal, and the solid. portion in the member 10 may be made of lead. y

In the operation of drawing back the bolt the follower may be turned either to the right or to the left by means of-the spindle. In either event one of the round ends of the follower-cam will engage with the round forward corner of one of the bolt-lugs 25, rand the bolt will be'carried backward and the cam is forced rearward until the cam strikes against one forward edge of the guide-block 21. This is the limit of the inward throw of the bolt, and its head is at this time practically within the opening of the front plate of the casing. The moment the spindle is released the spring 0 acts, and the cam returns to its normal position against the rib 14, and the beveled or curved ends of the bolt-flanges 25 engage with the curved ends of the said rib and the follower-cam. These two surfaces act as stops to limit the outward thrust of. the bolt. By constructing the strikingplate in' the manner described the fastening devices of the said plate are rendered invisible, or practically s Havingthusdescribedmyinvention,Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In alatch, the combination, with a casing and aspring-pressed bolthavinglugs formed at each side, of a follower provided with a cam projection and a guide-block secured in the casing and projecting partially over the follower, whereby the follower will be heldin place and the bolt guided in the casing, substantially as described.

'2. Ina latch, the combination, with a casing provided with-a transverse rib having a conlugs projectingfrom its under face, of a follower provided with a cam projection resting normally in the concavity of the trans'verse rib, and a-guide-block secured in the casing and projecting partially over thefollower,

substantially as herein shown and described,

3. A latch comprising a sectional casing, one end of one of thesections being solid and provided with a rib having a concave end, a bolt having lugs projecting from its under face, a spring in the section of thecasinghaving the solid portion and engaging said solid portion and the bolt, a follower provided with a cam. projection resting normailyiu the concavity of the transverse rib, and a guideblock projecting partially over the follower, substantially as herein shown and described.

- I BENJAMIN EDWARDS. \Vitnesscs:

. J. FRED. AoKER,

E. M. CLARK.

cave end, and a spring-pressed bolt having 

